First look: Trendy Mondays offers exclusive Spanish brands

Fashion stylist Maria del Puy is used to being paid for her innate good taste, and this month, she brings her Spanish sensibility to San Francisco in the form of her first boutique, Trendy Mondays. Del Puy, along with co-founder and CEO Monica Espina and partner Begona Mardaras, opened the expansive, 1,400-square-foot shop just off of Union Square, offering primarily Spanish designers that have never been available stateside, del Puy says.

Del Puy comes from a family of fashion designers, couturiers and dressmakers in Bilbao, Spain (her hometown). Her family background, combined with a personal preference for pieces that offer a touch of the unexpected, informs her sense of design and construction.

A mix of textures and fabrics feature heavily in brands like Custo Barcelona (the most recognizable of the lines), Saako, which makes a versatile “scarflace,” and Jota + ge, which hails from Bilbao. On a recent visit, we also loved items from leather handbag line Vaska. Prices range from $100 for tops up to about $300 for jackets and, once a piece is sold, it’s not restocked. This means that the rare feat of acquiring exclusive pieces from little-known European talent is actually within reach.

In a nod to their adopted hometown, the founders also bring in one local designer each month. The first is Greek native and longtime Berkeley resident Stella Carakasi. On the horizon, del Puy says, Trendy Mondays will bring in custom shoe design service Custom and Chic. She gave us a test run of the service and the options are seemingly endless — and stylish.

Although the two plan to eventually branch out across Europe, del Puy says that after a summer spent meeting with clothing brands abroad, she got stuck in Spain — the designers she approached were eager to participate in this little “experiment,” she says. Here is a first look at the new store, which celebrates its grand opening Oct. 2

Trendy Mondays is located at 565 Sutter St. (415) 318-6520. Browse the designer pieces at www.trendymondays.com.